Writing machine



p l 1946. w. MCFARLAND 2,399,369

WRITING MACHINE Filed NovuSO, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 1946- w. E. MOFAFIQLAND 2,399,369

WRITING MACHINE Filed Nov. 30, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

April 1946- I w. E. MOFARLAND 2,399,369

WRITING MACHINE Filed Nov. 50, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VHV TOR.

Patented Apr. 30, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 13 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved paper bail for use with front-strike typewriting machines, of that usual kind having a rotatable cylindrical platen. Front-strike typewriters are usually equipped with a paper bail, the purpose of which is to press against the work-sheets at a positionmoderately above the printing line, to hold the work-sheets curved properly and snugly to the platen for efiicient printing, and since the bail is located well toward the topmost portion of the platen, it directs the ejecting top portions of the work-sheets toward the rear of the machine.

The main element of the usual paper-bail assembly is the cross member, which usually consists of a small round rod, approximately the length of the platen, with rubber-covered bail rollers mounted on the rod for rotation about the rod. These bail rollers are normally clamped lightly against the work-sheets positioned between the bail and the platen, by means of springs acting on the side arms. The side arms, one at each end of the rod, are pivotally mounted to the typewriter carriage to allow the bail to be swung away from the operative paper-holding position to an extended, or inoperative, position away from the platen. In some instances the side arms are pivoted toward therear of the car'- riage and in back of the platen, and in other instances the side arms are pivoted toward the front of the platen and carriage, and the latter types are known as front-pivoted paper bails.

My invention is preferably incorporated in a front-pivoted paper bail, although some of the features of myinvention are useful for rear-pivoted bails.

. My invention provides a paper bail which serves the usual purposes of a bail in somewhat the usual manner, but provides greater convenience and utility for various typewriting applications than paper bails used heretofore.

In the usual paper bail, where a small rod is be locked in operating position, where it may not be swung away from operating position until the latch devices are released. The rod, to assure a:

suitably small and neat size of the bail rollers, is'necessarilysmall, and for this reason is not stiff and rigid. It is impractical, with the usual style ofpaper bail, to exert any great pressure against" the worksheets and thus grip-them tightly. It is therefore not very practical to use the rollers of the usual paper bail as a substitute for the main paper feed rollers which are located underneath the platen in front-strike machines.

An object of my invention is to provide a rigid main cross member to which the bail rollers are attached, of such shape and design that the bail rollers are mounted partly within the cross memberand substantially covered by it.

Another object of my invention is to provide a cross member, made preferably of solid metal, but which may also be an irregularly shaped hollow tube, with portions of the underside metal removed to provide recesses to accommodate and partially enclose the bail rollers.

Another object of my invention is to provide a main cross member, shaped to partly enclose the bail rollers in recesses in the member, the member also being shaped to provide a knife-like shearing edge, for use in tearing off, or aligning and straightening, the work-sheets.

Another object of my invention is to provide a cross member accomplishing the above objects, and carrying a particularly convenient and visible letter-space scale on the front surface of the cross member.

Another object of my invention is to provide an operative floating position of a paper bail, whereby due to spring pressure the bail member with its bail rollers is normally lifted slightly away from the platen instead of being in gripping relationship with the platen, With another spring means effective to prevent the cross memher from being too easily displaced a further dis- I tance from the platen, and with a conveniently operable control member to shift the hail from the floating position to full maximum engagement for such periods of operation as pressure engagement of the bail rollers is required.

Another object of my invention is to provide a paper hail of such rigidity and design, that a locking device located at only one end of the cross member is sufficient to hold all bail rollers of the cross member in effective gripping contact with the work-sheets held by the bail.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel control arrangement for a front-pivoted paper bail, whereby a fingerpiece mounted directly on the bail member is adapted to be used for conveniently shifting the bail to the various useful positions, with a locking arrangement provided whereby a single motion on the part of the typist will not only shift the bail to gripping engagement against the platen but will lock the bail in the fully engaged position, and likewise a single motion will unlock the bail and shift it to any other useful position.

Another object of my invention is to provide a front-pivoted paper bail which, when swung away from operative position near the platen, arrives at a first-stop position, just sufficiently away from the platen to permit a new work-sheet to feed under the bail as the sheet is inserted in the machine, the same position of the bail being suitable for use when squaring up typing sheets, or for conveniently correcting the register of printed continuous typing forms of the kind having folds or perforations between each set of forms, and with means provided to conveniently shift the bail beyond the first-stop position to a final full-open position for maximum visibility of the work-sheets, and maximum access to the work sheets for erasing and other handling of them.

Another object of my invention is to provide a paper bail having a number of useful positions, including a locked-down position, in which all the parts of the bail mechanism are included in the bail member and the supporting brackets for the member, the supporting brackets being preferably attached to the main carriage end pieces.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description.

Referring to the drawings, my invention is illustrated as incorporated in a well known kind of front-strike typewriter, and a manifolding mechanism, to operate carbon paper ribbons, of the same general kind as disclosed in my Patent No. 2,202,958, is included with the machine. The carbon paper ribbons are preferably disposed at an oblique angle to the writing line, with the high end of the ribbon at the right-hand portion of the carriage. My present invention is adapted to be used where the manifolding is done by means of either sheet carbon or ribbon carbon; however some of the advantages of my present invention can be most clearly illustrated with the use of ribbon carbon as the medium for manifolding. The method of using and operating the paper-bail, and the advantages in general, are the same in either case.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the letter-spacing carriage and some other portions of a front-strike typewriter embodying my invention, and illustrates the paper bail in an operative position performing the normal function of holding worksheets ourved snugly around the platen. The bail is shown as being in the floating position. Figure 1 shows the general arrangement of the carbon-ribbon manifolding device, and the carbon paper ribbons are in manifolding position between the several work-sheets.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top view of a righthand portion of the carriage of the typewriter, including part of the paper bail, and illustrates the ball as having been swung to the full-open position.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the main bail member, including the integral side arms.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the complete bail assembly, as removed from the typewriter, with the cross member in the full-open position.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken on line VV of Figure 1, showing the relationship and position of the cross member with respect to the work-sheets and the platen when the ball is in the operative floating. position.

Figure 6 is similar to Figure 5, and is taken on line VIVI of Figure 1, and shows thesection of the cross member at a point where a bail roller is located.

Figure 7 is a diagram, partly in section, showing the cross member as being in operative locked-down position whereby the work-sheets are tightly gripped between the bail rollers and the platen.

Figure 8 is a diagram, similar to Figure 7, the dotted-line outline of the cross member showing the member in the first-stop position, and the full-line outline showing the member in the fullopen position.

Figure 9 is a diagram, providing an exaggerated illustration of the bulge which accumulates in the portions of the work-sheets disposed at the front of the platen, the accumulated bulge being due to advancing the work-sheets a considerable distance by platen rotation with the bail member in the locked-down position.

Figure 10 is a diagram, partly in section, illustrating the cross member in the first-stop or upright position, whereby the shearing edge is conveniently positioned to assist in adjusting the register of printed continuous work-sheets of the kind having perforations between the sets of forms.

Figure 11 is a top view of a left-hand portion of the cross member, together with the left-hand bail bracket, illustrating the cross member as having been moved endwise slightly to the left, thus compressing the spring provided on the bail bracket, to permit shifting the bail from the upright position to the full-open position.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of a left-hand portion of the cross member, together with the left-hand bail bracket, illustrating the bail in the floating position.

Figure 13 is an enlarged view ofone of the bailrollers, together with the bearings for the'rollers. Figure 14 is an and elevation of part of the right-hand end of the carriage of the typewriter,

with the carbon ribbon spool-storage unit removed, illustrating the bail in the floating position.

Figure 15 is similar to Figure 14, thefull-lineoutline illustrating the bail in the first-stop, or upright, position, and the dotted-line outline illustrating th bail in the full-open position.

Figure 16 is similar to Figures 14 and 15, but illustrates the bail member in the locked-down position, with a portion of the bail bracket brokenaway.

The construction of front-strike typewriters of that usual kind which have a cylindrical platen to feed the work-sheets, is well known, and the typewriter shown in the drawings is describedonly to the extent of identifying the parts which have a relationship to my invention. The particular typewriter shown is that commonly known kind of machine having a main frame, on which is mounted a letter-spacing carriage. Since my invention is directed to the carriage, the main frame and parts carried by the main frame are. in general omitted from the drawings.

In Figure 1, a portion of the main frame is shown, and it is merely indicated by the letter A. The carbon paper ribbon spool-storage unit is supported at the left-hand end of the carriage and is indicated as a unit by the letter B. The carbon ribbon feeding unit, which is driven in feeding steps by operation of the linespace lever, is located on the carriage near the left-hand end thereof, and is indicated as a unit by the letter C. The single or multiple carbon ribbons extend from the unit 3 to; the. unit "0, with the portions between these units stretched rather tightly along the length of the carriage and platen, and in register with the printing line of the machine.

The typewriter as illustrated includes righthand and left-han'd carriage-end castings, I and 2 respectively, which form rigid end pieces for the carriage structure, and they provide support for various longitudinal members (not shown) of the carriage. The rotatable platen 3 is journaled in the castings I and 2. An inclined paper table 4 is located in back of. the platen, and serves to guide workesheets to feeding engagement with the platen, and also supports the rearwardly extending portions of the work-sheets. A covering shell 5, shown only in Figure 1, serves to house certain usual parts of the carriage which are not shown. An extension shaft 6, leads from the left-hand end of the platen 3 to a manual platenturning knob I. A slidable clip -8 is provided on each of the castings I and 2 to permit convenient removal of the platen from the machine.

Identical spools ,9, are mounted for rotation on the main frame A, and an inked ribbon I feedsfrom spool to spool, passing through a ribbon vibrator I I which is also supported on the main frame A and is located closely adjacent the front of the platen 3. A type guide I2, is located close to the ribbon vibrator to maintain correct alignment of the types as they meet the ribbon III for printing on the work-sheets. A ribbon shield I3, is disposed between the vibrator II and the platen 3, and serves the usual purposes of preventing the work-sheets from fouling against the ribbon I0 and of directing the work sheets upward as they are fed into the machine. Type bars I4 are arranged in a popular well known manner and are actuated by typing keys (not shown).

A line-space lever I is provided at the lefthand end-of the carriage for line-space feeding of the work-sheets as well as for returning the carriage toward the right to start each lin of printing. A line-space regulator and pawl assembly I6, provides a working connection between the lever I5 and a platen ratchet IT. A paper-release lever I8, is located near the lefthand end of the carriage, and is so connected to the front platen feed rollers 20 andthe rear platen feed rollers 2| as to enable the rollers 20 and 2I to be cast off from gripping contact against the platen, to thereby release worksheets so they may be straightened or easily slipped from the machine.

A carriage-release lever I9 is located near the lever I8, and permits disengagement of the letterspacing mechanism of the carriage when this is desired.

A bracket 22, of modified U-shape, is rigidly fastened to the carriage casting 2, by means of two screws 23. A portion of theline-space regulator and pawl assembly I6 is located between the two upright sections of the bracket 22 but does not come in contact with the bracket. The bracket 22 includes a small extension 2-4, which provides a stop to limit the pivotal movement of the bail member to be described. A spring 25, madeof flat spring metal, is especially shaped, and one end of this spring is attached by a screw 26 to one upright of the bracket 22, and the other end of the spring is free.

Another bracket, 2l,-consisting of a main body portion'and an arm which extends downwardly forward from the main body, is rigidly fastened to the carriagecastlng. I, by means of two screws.

28. The bracket 21 is in the line of travel of the diagonally disposed carbon paper ribbon and is at the high end of the ribbon, but suflicient space is provided between the arm and the main body to permit the carbon ribbon to pass through. At the lower tip of the arm there is aboutover portion 29, which provides a stop to limit the pivotal swing of the bail member to one of its useful positions. A spring 30, is especially shaped from flat spring metal, one end of the spring being firmly attached to the bracket 21 by means of a screw 3| and the other end being free. A metal roller 32 is mounted on the bracket 21 near the top. The free end of the spring 3|] is sov tensioned that it presses with moderate force against the roller 32.

A paper-bail cross member 35 extends approximately from end to end of the platen 3. The member35 is made of metal, which may be light weight metal providing it has the quality of stiffness. The shape of member 35, as shown particularly in Figure 5, is irregular, being a modified half-round shape. One edge of the member 35 is knife-like, and when the member 35 is in the operative paper-holding position, as shown in Figure 1, this edge is located near the top center surface of the platen, and is suitably positioned for shearing ofi portions of worksheets.

The under side of the member 35, as shown in Figure 5, is curved on a radius approximately equal to the radius of the platen. I have shown the member 35 as being a solid bar of metal, preferably a die casting; however if desired the member 35 may be formed or assembled of sheet metal approximately A" thick, in which case the member may be hollow.

A bail arm 36 extends at right angles to the member 35 from the left-hand end thereof, and a bail arm 31 likewise is located at the right-hand end of the member. The arms 36 and 31 are shown as being cast integrally with the member 35, but may be manufactured separately and welded or otherwise aflixed to the member 35. The arms 36 and 31 are of the same length, but of differing shapes. Fixed in each arm is a small, short, bearing pin 38, which provides for pivotally mounting the bail member to the brackets 22 and 21 by means of drilled holes provided in the brackets.

The ball arms 36 and 31 are much shorter than is usual in a paper bail, and the member 35 thus swings in a shorter than usual radius. The axis about which the bail member swings as it is moved to difierent useful positions is preferably located as particularly shown in Figures 14, 15 and 16, and is just slightly above the position of the printing line of the machine, and is slightly forward of the frontmost portion of the platen 3.

The use of short bail arms permits the member 35 to be swung through a considerable are, such as degrees, by an easy and quick motion on the part of the typist, and the short arms prevent the member 35 from colliding with the ribbon spools 9 which are in most typewriters fairly close to the platen.

Recesses are provided in the under side of the member 35, of a size to accommodate bail rollers. I have shown two bail rollers 39 as being used, but a greater number of rollers can be used if desired. I prefer a limited number of relatively long rollers, as long rollers tend to hold the Worksheets straight and square in the machine at such times as the paper ball is the only instrument being used to feed the work-sheets. The rollers 39 are smaller in diameter than are customarily used as bail rollers. The use of small rollers permits the member 35 to quite rigid, yet of neat and compact size, so that it does not obscure the visibility of the work-sheet appreciably more than the usual kinds of paper bails where the rollers are mounted to rotate about the main cross rod of the bail. The rollers 39 consist of a metal rod 49, which forms a core of which the ends are cut to smaller diameter than the main center portions. Each roller has a rubber cover 4i A small bearing, or bushing, 42, is provided for each end of each roller 39. The recesses in the member 35 are of such width and length as to accommodate the rollers 39 snugly, but the rollers rotate freely and the rubber surface of the rollers does not touch or rub against the member 35. The ends of the recesses are smaller than the main center recesses, and the bearings 42 are wedged tightly in the ends of the recesses and held in place by the tightness of the fit. The bail rollers are thus partially enclosed in the member 35, with perhaps one fourth of the diameter of the rollers protruding from the underside of the member. The position of the bail rollers within the member is particularly illustrated in Figure 6.

It is a particular intention that the member 35 have much greater rigidity than the usual cross rod of paper bails, to permit the bail rollers to be clamped more tightly than usual against the work-sheets, and further, to secure uniform pressure of each of the bail rollers even though the clamping pressure is provided by a locking device at only one end of the bail member. It is obvious that the use of the relatively large bar of metal as shown for member 35, provides greater stiffness than the use of an ordinary bail rod about which the bail rollers rotate. The necessity for the recesses in the member 35 cause the member to be slightly less strong and stifi in the area immediately around the recesses, but sufficient metal is left around even the recessed areas to provide a high degree of stiffness. The brackets which support the bail, and the bail arms, are as short and rigid as practical, so there is little flexing or bending of any part of the structure, so that when pressure is exerted at any point along the bail member 35, both of the rollers 39 are forced toward the platen in good gripping contact with the platen In the usual type of paper bail where the rollers are mounted for rotation about a main cross rod, it is possible to slide the rollers to whatever position is desired. It is possible likewise, to modify the member 35 so that the recess for the rollers extends from end to end of the member 35, and to so mount the rollers '39 on slidable bearings so that they can be moved along the member 35 to various positions, but I have found it more practical to mount the rollers in fixed positions.

When the member 35 is in the usual operative position, one surface of the member 35 is facing the typist. A particularly convenient and unobscured letter-space scale is provided on this surface.

The pins 38 not only provide bearings for swinging the bail member about its axis, but provide for slight endwise movement of the bail member. The distance between the two brackets 22 and 21 is slightly greater than the length of the bail member.

Mounted on the outer face of the arm 31, by means of a shoulder screw 41, is a latch 45, having a fingerpiece 46 integral with the latch. The latch and the fingerpiece have a limited pivotal movement about the shoulder screw as an axis, a stop pin 48 being ,afiixed to the arm 31 to limit the movement of the fingerpiece to just that degree necessary for hooking the latch over the roller 32. The arrangement of the latch 45, fingerpiece 4B, and stop pin 48, and roller 32, can be clearly seen in Figures 14, 15 and 16.

Work sheets 55, are shown in several of the drawings, for original and carbon copies of the typed matter. A carbon ribbon supply spool 52, is carried by the unit B from which one or more ribbons 51 are fed for manifolding.

In Figure 10, is shown the use of continuous printed forms 53, as work-sheets, and these are the well known kind that are perforated between each set of forms to permit the forms to be folded compactly in a pack, and to permit easily detaching each set. The perforated folds of the forms are designated as 54.

The paper bail, installed in the machine, can be seen in Figure l which illustrates the bail in operative position.

The normal and most used position of the bail described herein is the floating position. The rollers 39, in this position, are raised above the surface of the platen as is clearly shown in Figure 6, and obviously the rollers do not grip the worksheets in the usual manner of a paper bail. While the work-sheets are not gripped, they are however satisfactorily pressed to the curvature of the platen, which is the primary purpose of a paper bail.

Except during the period of typing lines near the very bottom of work-sheets, there is no particular advantage in the bail rollers having a gripping contact with th work-sheets, providing that the work-sheets hug the platen at the printing line. The main feed rollers 20 and 2| efficiently perform the function of gripping and feeding the work-sheets without requiring assistance from the bail rollers. There is an actual disadvantage in having the bail rollers clamped in pressure contact against the platen, for the reason that .if a bulge occurs or accumulates in that area of the work-sheets that is located near the printing line at the front side of the platen, it becomes necessary for the typist to lift the bail to smooth out the bulge. Ordinary typing packs have ufllcient inherent stiffness, that if the bail member 35 is maintained just reasonably near the platen, with the rollers 39 within perhaps 6" to 4;" of the platen surface, the work-sheets will hug the platen. The work-sheets do flare away from the platen, but this condition occurs sufficiently above the printing line that it does not interfere with quiet and proper action of the type bars. When using the bail member 35 in the floating position, the typist is not annoyed by the occurrence of bulges in the work-sheets.

The manner of maintaining the bail member in the floating position is illustrated in Figure 14. In this position, the tip of the latch is resting on the top of the roller 32, and the tip of the latch is also bearing against the looped free end of the spring 35. The latch 45 is at one limit of its pivotal movement as determined by the stop 48, so that the pressure of the spring 30 is transmitted through the latch to maintain the main bail member lifted slightly upward from the platen. However, if the typist presses downward on the member 35, to temporarily swing the bail member closer to the platen, this action will compress the spring 30 and will bring the rollers 39 temporarilyin contact with the platen .3. When the typist stops pressing on themember .35, the :bail will 'be instantly swung a slight distance from the platen to its previous position, due to the action of the spring 30. The spring 30 can raise the bail member only a very limited distance as the roller 32 provides a stop for the spring. The spring 30 needs only to have sufiicient strength to lift the weight of the bail.

The weight alone, of the member 35, i sufficient to maintain several ordinary work-sheets pressed properly snug to the platen. However, when stiff envelopes, or other thick or stiff workpieces are typed in the machine, there would be a tendency for such a. stiff typing-piece to raise the member 35 further away from the platen so that the piece would not be held properly curved against the platen. It is partly for thi reason that the usual paper bail has a spring means included, which augments the Weight of the bail to hold work-sheets clamped down. To prevent the member 35 from being too easily raised by a stiif typing piece, the spring 25 is provided. The Spring 25 is so formed and placed that it offers moderate resistance against the bail being swung appreciably further away from the platen than the normal floating position. The manner in which the spring 25 bears against the arm 36 is clearly shown in Figure 12. It will be understood that the spring 25 does not tend to force the member 35 any closer to the platen than the normal floating position, but is for the sole purpose of resisting the lifting of the bail, and ofiers just enough resistance to eliminate annoyance from stiff-typing pieces. The bail may therefore be said to float between the pressures of the springs 25 and 30.

While the floating position is very eflicient as a general use position, it is inadequate for certain typing conditions. One such condition is when typing very close to the bottom of the Work-sheets, since the feed rollers 20 become ineffective'for gripping and line-spacing the work-sheets for the last few lines that can be written on a sheet. Another such condition is where it may be desired to temporarily leave the rollers 2|] and 2! in the cast oif position and to use only the bail as the instrument for providing the necessary grip to feed the work-sheets. This latter practice is beneficial in certain typewriting applications. It is therefore for several reasons necessary to provide for clamping the rollers suitably against the platen 3 to properly grip work-sheets, and it is in fact desirable to be able to clamp the roller 39 somewhat more tightly against the platen than'is ordinarily possible with the usual kinds of paper bails which do not have a rigid construction, or have a suitable device for'developing a high bail pressure. The usual paper bail provides only a single operative position of the bail, whereas I have provided two operative positions, each for specific purposes.

When the typist presses on the fingerpiece 46, the member 35 will be swung closer to the platen and thespring will be forced backward slightly away from the roller 32, and continued moderate pressure on the fingerpiece will turn the latch 45 on its pivot screw 41 to thus hook the latch over the roller 32. This operation draws the member closer to the platen, with the rollers 39 in tight pressure contact with the platen. Figure 16 shows the relationship of the several parts when the bail is locked down. The work-sheets can now be accurately and properly line-spaced and written upon whether or not the main feed rollers 20 and 2| are engaged. It is due to, the high degree of rigidity of the member '35 and other parts that permits a high degree of clamping pressure to be exerted on the work-sheets without undue flexing or distortion of the member 35. It will be noted that the locking device is provided at only one end of the bail member, resulting in very simple construction and simplified control devices, yet each of the rollers 39 is properly clamped against the work-sheets. While latching devices are in common use, the usual purpose of them is to prevent; the bai1 member from being too easily raised from the platen. The main purpose of the latch shown herein is to develop a high degree of gripping pressure.

Th bail member 35 ma be unlocked by the typist moving the fingerpiece 46 in the opposite direction. Sufiicient movement in this direction will not only unhook the latch 45, but will overcome the resistance of the spring 25 and swing the bail away from the platen. The bail may thus be raised to the first-stop er upright position shown in full lines in Figure 15, by dotted lines in Figure 8, and in Figure 10. As shown in Figure 15, one edge of the arm 3'! has now met the bent-over stop 29, and this tends to block the member 35 from swinging through any greater arc. In moving from the locked-down position, the member has swung through an arc of approximately 60 degrees, and the knife-like edge is now pointing in a relatively vertical direction. The bail will stay in the upright position until moved to another position by the typist.

When the member 35 is in the upright position, a new work-sheet may be conveniently fed into the machine, to be properly directed between the member 35 and the platen 3. The stop 29 is so located that the member 35 in upright position, is just far enough away from the platen to allow the new sheet to feed under rather than over the bail. The bail may be easily returned to either the floating position or the locked-down position in one easy motion by merely pressing on the fingerpiece 4B.

When the bail is in the upright position, the spring 25 is partially compressed, and thus tends to take up the end play of the member 35, helping to make the stop 29 fully effective in preventing unwanted further swinging of the bail away from the platen.

The upright position of the member 35 is particularly useful when using the typewriter with continuous forms ofthe kind which have tearing perforations between eachset of forms. These forms are usually printed as sets, and it is of course desired to keep each sheet of the set in proper register with each other sheet of the set. It is well known that in feeding such continuous forms around the platen of a'typewriter, that there is a gradual loss of registration as each outer sheet of the pack feeds ahead of each sheet underneath it. It is necessary for the typist to frequently cast off the rolls 2B and M by means of the lever l8, and jog the sheets of the pack into register with each other. The use of manifolding ribbons, rather than continuous sheet carbon, somewhat reduces the problem because it reduces the thickness of the. pack that is fed around the platen.

As Figure 10 illustrates, the forms may be most quickly and easily jogged into proper register by means of the paper bail herein described. When one set of the forms is completely typed, and with the bail member in the upright position, the continuousiorms are advanced until the next perforation;5.4 is approximately in line with the knife edge. Then the rollers and 2| are cast ofi, the already typed set of forms bent forward over the knife edge and preferably creased with the fingers so that the perforated fold of the forms is accurately aligned by the knife edge. The benefit of the upright position for this operation is that the knife edge is properly positioned and fully accessible for the necessary handling and creasing of the forms.

The upright position proves useful also for other purposes, such as for straightening and squaring up work-sheets.

When the bail is in either of the two operative positions, or in the upright position, it is somewhat in the typists way as far as making erasures and certain other handling of the work-sheets is concerned. It may likewise be found to be in the way for the operation of slacking the carbon ribbons and dropping them in manifolding position between a new set of work-sheets. In any of the above described positions, the bail may obscure typed or printed matter of the work-sheet. For these reasons provision is made to swing the member to a final full-open position.

Starting from the upright position, the bail member may be swung through a further arc, which may be approximately 120 degrees, by first shifting the bail slightly endwise from right to left, to enable the arm 31 to pass over the stop 29. The necessary endwise movement, which is possible because of the end play that is provided, is quite slight and is obviously obtained by pressure in proper direction on the fingerpiece 29. This pressure compresses the spring which normally takes up the end play of the bail member. Figure 11 illustrates the compressed condition of the spring 25 at the time that the member is being shifted endwise to pass the stop 29. Having passed the stop 29, the member may be freely swung to the full-open position, which is illustrated in Figures 2 and 4, by full lines in Figure 8, and by dotted lines in Figure 15. The stop 24 which extends from the bracket 22 limits the position to which the bail member may be swung. As I have shown the construction, the bail member swings through an arc of approximately 180 degrees when moving from the locked-down position to the full-open position, and the bail memher is now especially well out of the typists way and well out of the line of vision to the worksheet, but due to the shortness of the bail arms only a short and easy motion by the typist has been required to dispose the bail in the full-open position.

It is not essential that the bail swing in as great an are as 180 degrees, but it is practical to swing the bail through such an arc, and in the usual typewriter there is sufficient space between the platen 3 and the ribbon spools 9 that the bail member 35 does not collide with the ribbon spools. When swung to this extent, the member 35 is in contact with the inked ribbon H), at points in the stretches of the ribbon between the spools 9 and the vibrator H, and the member 35 is depressing the ribbon if! somewhat at the points of contact. However, this is not serious, as there are no exposed bail rollers on the side of the bail member that is in contact with the inked ribbon, and if the carriage happens to be moved along its rails with the bail in the full-open position, there will not be any tendency for the bail member to catch and foul the inked ribbon.

When the bail is in the full-open position, the

work-sheets are fully accessible for handling, and

the member 35 is suitably out of the way for all purposes including the operation of inserting the carbon ribbons between new work-sheets.

The member 35 may be returned directly to any other desired position, and only a single short motion is required, by means of the fingerpiece 46.

The floating position has particular merit when using carbon paper ribbons as the manifolding medium. There is always a tendency for manifolding ribbons to be dragged out of proper register with the writing line when the work-sheets are turned in either direction by the platen-turning knob l or by the line-space lever l5. The tendency toward displacement is much greater during the operation of turning the work-sheets backward, and is particularly great if the bail rollers are in gripping contact with the platen, as the work-sheets tend to pack tightly against the platen as the work-sheets are turned backward. The use of the floating position eliminates the excessive tendency for the work-sheets to drag the carbon paper ribbons.

It is practical, instead of using the spring 30 as a stop means to maintain the bail lifted, to use a fixed stop as a means of preventing gripping engagement by the bail rollers, and a suitable control member could be provided to enable passing the stop to thus shift the bail to the fully engaged or locked-down position. However, the use of the spring 30 to maintain the bail slightly lifted is considerably more suitable and effective than a fixed stop. This is especially true when using the knife edge for shearing off the protruding portions of work-sheets. It is desirable, for shearing, that the rollers 39 be clamped against the platen to grip the work-sheets near the knife edge and thus assure a clean and accurate tear. It is not necessary to operate the fingerpiece control to secure the grip of the bail rollers, but merely necessary to press down at any point along the member 35, shear ofi the work-sheets while holding the member 35 down, and then merely remove the finger pressure from the member 35. The spring 30 then automatically lifts the bail member to the original floating position.

An operative position of the ball, at which the bail is slightly lifted from the platen instead of clamped against the platen, is particularly necessary in the case of using bail rollers which are smaller in diameter than the main feed rollers 20 and 2|. The rollers 39 for the bail herein described are almost necessarily smaller than the usual bail rollers, and are likewise smaller in diameter than suitably sized main feed rollers 20 and 2|. The use of bail rollers of customary size would require that the member 35 be large and bulky in order to contain the rollers. When the small bail rollers 39 are maintained in pressure contact against the pack of work-sheets, and the pack advanced a considerable distance in linespace direction, a bulging condition accumulates in the work-sheets, each outer sheet having a greater bulge than each under sheet. This condition is illustrated in exaggerated mannerin Figure 9, the bulge occurring in those areas of the work-sheets at the front side of the platen, which is the area where the types impact. The bulging condition interferes with efficient printing by the types and causes noisy operation of the machine. The cumulative bulge is evidently caused by the fact that while the main feed rollers 20 and 2| feed each outer sheet of the writing pack faster is not serious in the case of writing a relatively few lines with the main rollers 20 and 2| as well as the bail rollers 39 clamped against the worksheets, but it is not desirable to write a large number of lines with the rollers 39 also clamped against the work-sheets. Using the bail in the floating position as a general-use position avoids the problem presented by the rollers 39 being smaller than normal.

It may now be seen that the paper bail described herein is a novel structure, providing a greater range of versatility and convenience than bails used heretofore.

Although I have described in detail a machine embodying my invention, it is to be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, and I am therefore not to be limited to the construction shown and described except as defined in the claims.

What is claimed:

1. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination of a cylindrical platen to feed worksheets, a system of types coactive along the front portion of said platen to print on said worksheets, a paper bail pivoted for swinging toward and away from the platen, the cross member of the bail being in operative position dis osed closely along the upper front surface of the platen to press back the work-sheets, a series of rollers attached to said cross member and enga eable against the platen to clamp the work-sheets when the bail is swung to one limit of it movement, means to maintain said cross member in one operative position which is a floating position with said rollers slightly only away from clamped engagement against said platen, said means auomatically returning said cross member to said floating position if swung closer to the platen,

and resilient means to resist said cross member being swung further away from the platen.

2. In a front-strike typewriting machine. a carriage, a rotatable platen mounted in said carriage, a system of types coactive alone the front portion of the platen to print upon work-sheets. a paper bail pivotally mounted on the carriage for swinging movement toward and away from the platen, a roller supported bv said bail, a fingerpiece located on said bail near one end. thereof and mounted for pivotal movement with respect to the bail, said fingerpiece actuable to lock said bail in an operative position whereby said bail roller is locked clamped against said platen to grip the work-sheets.

3. In a front-strike typewriting machine, a carriage, a rotatable platen mount d in said carriage, a system of types coactive along the front portion of the platen to print upon work-sheets, a front-pivoted paper bail comprisin two side arms and a main cross member having rollers supported by said cross member, said bail adapted to be swung away from the platen to an extended position and toward the platen to an operative position for holding work-sheets curved snugly to the platen for printing, said bail in operative position being normally maintained slightly lifted from the platen to reduce the pressure of said bail against the work-sheets, and a latching device to draw said paper bail closer to the platen to clamp the Work-sheets against the platen and thereafter hold the work-sheets so clamped, one element of said latching device being located off the paper bail and another element of the latch ing device being located on the paper bail, and a fingerpiece mounted on the paper bail and movable with respect to the paper bail to actuate the latching device.

4. In a front-strike typewriting machine, a carriage, arotatable platen journaled in said carriage, a system of types coactive along the front of the platen to print upon work-sheets, a front pivoted paper bail including rollers attached to a main cross member, and including two side arms, latching means to lock the bail in an operative position whereby the rollers are clamped against the work-sheets and whereby the ball is prevented from being swung away from the platen while so locked, and an upstanding fingerpiece mounted on said bail adjacent one side arm, the

fingerpiece adapted to be pressed in the direction of bail movement to thereby move the fingerpiece and bail in unison toward the platen, said fingeriece adapted by additional pressure in the same direction to be moved with respect to said bail to actuate said latching means and thereby lock the bail in the operative position.

5. In a front-strike typewriting machine, a. r0-- tatable platen to feed continuous work-sheets, a front-pivoted paper bail, the cross bar of said bail being a rigid bar with a, knife-like shearin edge which is normally located closely along the top center surface of the platen and pointed to ward the rear of said machine, a roller located in a recess at the underside of said cross bar. the bail swingable on short side arms about an axis located approximately in line with the frontmost surface of the platen and located higher than the axis of the platen, and a stop to limit the swing of the bail away from the platen to that posiion whereby said knife-like edge is pointed upward and is approximately vertically above the frontmost surface of the platen, said knife-like edge being then conveniently positioned to enable cor recting the register of continuous work-sheet forms by creasing the perforations of such forms over the knife-like edge.

6. In a front-strike typewriting machine, a rotatable laten adapted to feed continuous worksheets, types, a front-pivoted paper bail having a rigid bar with a shearing edge as a cross mem-- ber, said bail swingable on short side arms to dif- 'ferent positions, one position being an operative position'to press back work-sheets and with the shearin edge close to the platen for efiiciem shearing of work-sheets. a stop to limit the swinr of said bail in the direction away from the platen to that position whereby the shearing edge is approximately vertically above the frontmost surface of the platen and pointed upward and thus conveniently positioned for creasing the perforations of continuous work-sheets over the shearin edge to correct the register of the sheets. and

means to allow said bail to be moved past said stop to a full-open position whereby said bail has been swung in approximately a complete hali circle from said first position.

'7. In a front-strike typewriting machine, a main frame, a platen carriage, a rotatable platen mounted in the carriage, types, a front-pivoted paper bail having a shearing edge running along the cross member of the bail, a series of rollers mounted in said cross member in a manner as to be partly enclosed in said cross member, said bail swingable on short side arms to different positions, means to maintain the bail in one operative position close to the platen with the rollers clamped to the platen, means to maintain the bail in another operative position close to the platen with the rollers separated from the platen a slight limited distance, stop means to limit the swing of the bail away from the platen to a first inoperative position at which the bail is substantially upright and the shearing edge substantially vertically above the frontmost surface of the platen, and means to allow said bail to be shifted past said stop to swing the bail to a second inoperative position to more fully expose the worksheets.

8. In a front-strike typewriting machine, a main frame, a platen carriage, a rotatable platen mounted in the carriage, types, a front-pivoted paper hail, the cross member of the bail having a shearing edge along its "length which edge in operative position is near the top center surface of the platen, a roller mounted for free rotation in a recess in the underside of said cross member, locking means to maintain the bail locked down to a first operative position close to the platen whereby the roller is clamped against the platen to grip a' work-sheet, means to maintain said bail in a second operative position close to the platen but whereby said roller is free of clamping engagement with the platen, a stop to limit the swing of the bail away from the platen to one inoperative position whereby the bail is substantially upright and the shearing edge substantially directly above the frontmost surface of the platen, means to allow said bail to be shifted past said stopto a full-open position to more:

fully expose the work-sheets, and a fingerpiece mounted directly on said bail to shift the bail to different positions and to actuate said locking means.

9. As an article of manufacture, a front-pivoted paper-bail assembly for attachment to a front-strike typewriter of the kind having a platen carriage and having a rotatable platen journaled therein; said assembly comprising two brackets and a main bail member having side arms, one of said brackets adapted to be attached to said carriage near each end'thereof, said bail member being mounted between said brackets for swinging said member toward and away from the platen, said assembly including control means located entirely on said assembly, said control means including an upstanding finger iece mounted on said main bail member and located near one end thereof, said fingerpiece movable in unison with said bail member to move the bail member to different useful positions, said fingerpiece being pivotally mounted on said bail member and thereby movable with respect to said bail member to actuate a latch and thereby clamp said bail member in tight paper-feeding relationship with a work-sheet.

10. In a front-strike typewriting machine, a platen carriage, a rotatable platen journaled therein, and a front-pivoted paper bail, said ball comprising a bail bracket mounted adjacent each end of the carriage and a main bail member having integral side arms, the bail member being a rigid bar having a recess at the underside thereof and having a roller in the recess, and

another bail position being a partly extended position, another bail position being an unlocked operative position whereby the work-sheets are pressed snugly toward the platen for typing, and another bail position being a locked operative position whereby said work-sheets are held clamped snugly to the platen for typing on the work-sheets with the bail member locked against being moved away from the platen by other than the control means.

11. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination of a cylindrical platen, a paper bail pivoted for swinging movement toward and away from the platen and including a cross-member disposed along the length of the platen, a bail feed-roller on said cross member, a shearing edge extending along the length of said cross member, a yielding stop means normally maintaining said bail slightly lifted from the platen with said bail in position to press work-sheets to the curvature of the platen for printing, said yielding stop means effective to raise the bail to said position after pressing said bail to gripping engagement with the platen by manual pressure applied directly to the bail while shearing a work-sheet on said shearing edge, and a manually operable control member to shift said bail to effective gripping engagement with said platen.

12. In a, front-strike typewriting machine, a carriage, a platen, and a front-pivoted paper bail, said bail having an operative position close to the platen to hold a work-sheet to the platen for typing thereon, said bail having an extended position away from the platen, and having an intermediate position, a fixedstop means to stop the ball at the intermediate position when the bail is swung away from the operative position, and means to allow the bail to be shifted past said fixed stop to the extended position by applying manual pressure endwise of the bail while shifting.

13. In a front-strike typewriting machine, a carriage, a platen, and a front-pivoted paper bail, said bail having a sharp edge along the length of the bail suitable for aligning multiple continuous work-sheets at the tearing perforations thereof, said paper bail having an operative position close to the platen for use while typing on said work-sheets, said bail having an extended position to fully expose said work-sheets for erasing thereon, and having an intermediate position suitable for use when aligning the continuous work-sheets by creasing the tearing perforations over said sharp edge, a fixed stop to stop the bail at said intermediate position when said bail is 

